Are you sure you want to back out of sending this message?

Copy & paste this code into your HTML

About Support and Privacy

What is “Supporting”?
Supporting a Thunderclap campaign is like signing a petition but with the added power of simultaneously sharing a message. You and every other supporter are standing up for an idea with the power of your voice.

How do I support?
Choose between your Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr account to grant Thunderclap permission to post a message on your behalf. That’s it! If the campaign reaches its support goal by the deadline, Thunderclap will automatically post your message and all other supporters' messages at the same time.

A note on privacy
When you log into Thunderclap using your Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr account, you’re allowing our platform to share a single message on your behalf. That’s all. We use the absolute minimum permissions possible to post a message on your behalf. The platforms we integrate with sometimes include additional permissions that we do not use and we will not post anything from your friends' accounts.

The
Winter Olympic Games will take place Sochi,
Russia on 7th –
23rd February, 2014. During the Games, join PEN in protesting the
draconian restrictions placed on free expression in Russia
since President Vladimir
Putin returned to office in May 2012.

During the last18 months, Russian lawmakers have signed a number of laws curtailing free
speech and dissent. Three laws specifically place a choke hold on the right to
express one self freely, and pose a particular threat to our fellow writers,
journalists and bloggers:

1.
In June 2013, the gay
‘propaganda’ law was passed. This law was ostensibly
passed to protect children from pornography and access to inappropriate sexual
material, but in practice it (and its precursor) has been used to target
journalists and entertainers. The breadth of the legislation means that any
activity that can be construed as promoting the non-heterosexual lifestyle,
including the holding of LGBT rallies is now banned. Russian citizens violating
this law face being fined; foreigners face deportation. Since the introduction of this law, LGBT groups have reported an
increase in attacks on gay people and Russia’s media watchdog has already
targeted one newspaper, Molodoi Dalnevostochnik, for ‘promoting’ homosexuality in
its coverage of the firing of a gay school teacher.

2.
The ‘blasphemy’ law was also passed in June
2013. This law criminalises ‘religious insult’ and provides punishments of up
to three years’ imprisonment or a maximum fine of US$ 16,000. The law is widely
seen as a heavy-handed attempt to deter stunts similar to the one carried out
by the feminist punk group Pussy Riot, who performed their ‘punk prayer’ inside
the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February 2012 (for which three members of
the band received two-year prison sentences). Though they were arrested before
the law was introduced, they were convicted in the spirit in which the
legislation would later be written.

3.
In July 2012, defamation
was re-criminalised. This law provides cripplingly
harsh fines of up to US$153,000 for violations and threatens to push small
media outlets into self-censorship for fear of risking financial ruin. In
practice, criminal defamation laws have often been exploited by public
officials around the world to silence criticism and deter investigative
reporting. The United Nations special rapporteur for free expression has
called for all states to decriminalise defamation. While the current trend in Europe is to move away from the
criminalisation of speech offences, Russia is going in the opposite
direction.

Join PEN
International in calling on Russia for the repeal of these laws.

PEN International is the world's leading association of writers and works to promote literature and defend freedom of expression. Founded in 1921 our global community of writers spans over 100 countries, with 146 PEN Centres worldwide. Our campaigns, events and programmes connect writers and readers, strengthen freedom of expression, defend linguistic rights and promote quality education at the national, regional and international level.